The Fall
by Deora
Summary: It was how we were all born...how man came to this damned hellish nightmare known as earth where angels were never suppose to touch ground unless God prohibited it, that is…until the fall. SasuxSaku
1. Chapter 1

**I don't own Naruto, though I could certainly use the money from its massive fandom…but alas, I do not own it. Probably a good thing to…Sakura and Sasuke would be at it all the time if I did XD**

**Story plot belongs to Lovers-in-Lines and Me, Deora.**

-O-o-O-o-O-o-O-

It was how we were all born...how man came to this damned hellish nightmare known as earth where angels were never suppose to touch ground unless God prohibited it, that is…until the fall.

The day had come, the day we all wished had never existed, for it cost us much more than our eternity, it cost us our salvation. Lucifer had come with his disobedience and strength to challenge our creator, the almighty himself. Those who joined him were damned and those who fought him were doomed and as the blood bath began and reigned on, death plagued the heavenly kingdom as pearled feathers turned black with ash as souls were lost to the daemons who craved for them while others were plummeted to earth, either to be spared or cursed, no one was ever entirely sure. Lives were ruined, souls were ripped from bodies to wander aimlessly and lovers were separated, some lost, never to be recreated. The most glorious love in the kingdom of heaven was that between two well renounced Arch Angels as they fought side by side, but now not even their love could keep them safe.

Anael, one of the Seven Arch Angels of creation, Princess of all Arch Angels was not known for her fighting skills, but rather known as the Angel of Venus and was praised for her skills in teaching and learning. But despite her passive nature, God had granted her with miraculous strength and memorable pink hair that cascaded down her back and brushed her ivory knees and gave her gentle green eyes an unusual twinge of color. She may not have been able to wield a sword with incredible agility, but she could catapult her foes clear into another dimension if her mind wanted her to.

However her love interest was quite the opposite in skill and appearance. Known throughout as Uriel and ranked as a Serph and considered the Fire of God his skills were almost unmatched by anyone else. His charcoal hair that was usually neatly braided or diligently pulled back had now fallen from its ties as he fought fearlessly with all the strength and agility he possessed. All six of his agile wings were spackled with blood and ash as the feathers became heavy with the sluggish grime of battle. Many times before now there had been brawls between Uriel and Saint Michale the Arch Angel and defender of all things Heaven on who was the better creation, though God reassured them that they had all been made equal but with different purposes.

But now the innocent days of playful banter were long gone; now they fought to keep what was theirs, their home, their eternity and their souls. And as Michale, Uriel and Anael all fought on, in a time of battle, they realized that not all can be saved and sacrifices must be made but such things are difficult to endure when they fall upon your loved one.

As the cold steal ran through Uriel's flesh and penetrated his eternity he gasped sharply, his charcoal eyes dilating to small beads as he body lurched, his muscles flexed and he fell to his knees. Anael, who was close by, watched in horror as she ran to her loves side.

"URIEL!" She cried, tears mixed with grime on her face streamed from her green orbs as she held her disintegrating love in her tired arms as she fought to make him look at her, wiping the dribble of blood that strayed from his paling lips. He turned his fading eyes to look at her with comfort as he reached up to wipe away her trickle of reaming tears from her face as he punched through his pain and forced a smile.

"I'll find you…" He whispered lovingly before God thundered and roared with distain and grief as he sent the warriors soul earth bound, where all could hope he'd be reborn, leaving Anael with nothing but flutters of glittering dust to grieve by. Michale quickly joined her presence as he wrapped her in his arms, a place Anael always could find comfort if Uriel was not present. Something about Michale's tender blue eyes put her worries at ease in all other affairs before this, but now as his wild blonde hair entangled with her pink strands, she could feel him weeping through his strong exterior at the loss of a friend and cherished comrade.

Sadly, they died together in each other arms as a minion of hell ran them through with so much force it penetrated both their souls and in their last breaths they whispered to each other the only comfort they could find in the blackness that consumed them.

"I'll find you…"

-O-o-O-o-O-

**Authors Note: PLEASE DO NOT FLAME ME ABOUT RELIGON!**

**Ok…now that that's out the way…no..I'm not overly religious…but…this idea just sort of came to me…and it felt all to perfect…Sasuke as Uriel, Sakura as Anale and Naruto as Michale…I just saw it so perfectly…I had to at least try it out…and from here they shall be the original Naruto Characters you all know and love. I'm not sure if this has been done before…but I hope not. Please review…but don't be nasty…be constructive. I got most the information from a site called SarahsArchangels.**


	2. Chapter 2

As their souls glistened and fell from the rumbles of war they wondered where they would ultimately end and if they would truly find each other. Though God had planned well, as he normally did, the destination of all three warriors was certain and their souls resting place would be more than a rebirth, it'd be a new life. With no memories of their eternal days, they would be forced to start anew and remember each other on their own terms, friend or foe; it was their choice now for they had fallen into the realm of free will, a place where not even God could intervene.

They were indeed born again, all three into adoring families where they're trademark looks of their past lives fit all too well. They had all kept their initial features that stood them apart from others in heaven; their hair and eyes. And though they had been reborn, all of their significant traits stayed with him even if their names and memories had not. Reborn and Renamed, Michale had been dubbed Naruto, Uriel would now learn the name Sasuke, and Anael had been deemed Sakura.

All born to gifted Ninja of Konoha, where they would live, breath and accept their new found destination with blissful ignorance as they grew and changed into the warriors this world would make them. With no memories of who they once were, they were free to love, or hate one another for as long as their souls remained in the bodies that had been chosen for them.

O-o-O-o-O

_Skip ahead to the first day of school when they were young._

Sakura's sharp green eyes darted about the classroom as she tugged at the red sash that her mother had lovingly placed in pink hair.

_I hope I make friends…_ She hummed inside her brain as she rocked nervously on her heels, still eyeing all the other students as they moved about and chatted with one another. As she stood there, tugging at her dress strings nervously, she began to feel something burn into her soul and for an instant she didn't feel like she was five years old and starting school, she felt ancient, wise and broken. In an act of comfort, she clutched her stomach and inhaled quickly her eyes shifting upward as she straightened herself out in an attempt to gaze about her fellow peers and when she did, she met a pair of unsettling dark eyes that had landed upon her being and studied her diligently and again, she felt this burning pain and if she had not been five, she might of recognized it as desire.

Her gaze was frozen to him, as his was to hers. Sakura concluded that his eyes were blackest she had ever seen and deeper than any depth of any ocean. Yet for their dark nature, they burned through her and the unsettling feeling she felt deep within her would not release its clutches, nor could his gaze leave hers and she could see within him that he was suffering a similar fate from her eyes. Bounded by more than a gaze, they felt their bodies began to sleek towards each other, though their brains had not made any connection with their legs. They ignored this minor detail, and their eyes never swayed from the other and when they were close enough to touch at their own will, they both smiled their young grins and introduced themselves to the other.

"I'm…Sakura, Haruno, Sakura." The pink haired girl spoke in an almost squeaky voice.

"Uchiha, Sasuke." His voice smooth, yet rather shaky all the same.

They stood there for another moment before Sakura extended her hand in a mindless act to touch the beautiful boy that stood before her, as if to make sure she had not imagined such an amazing event. And as she lifted her fingers to test her reality, Sasuke did the same and as a result their index and middle fingers touched for a mere instant, but long enough to cause a noticeable spark and glow as their flesh met each others. They withdrew their hands quickly and stared dumbfounded, first at their own digits then at each other, their minds radiating the same thoughts.

_I know you…_

With a quick ring of a school bell, their gaze and thoughts were shattered and they were left to their normal state of mind before sheepishly shying away from the other and darting off to their first lesson.

-O-o-O-o-O-

**I'm happy with this so far…it's going much better than I planned. I hope all who read enjoy…**


	3. Chapter 3

As Sakura made her way to her first class the unsettling burning that rested beneath her continued to churn and glow as she settled into her seat. She had never sparked someone when she touched them, not even after she rubbed her feet on the carpet for an extensive amount of time, and no one had ever left her feeling this way before.

As her first lesson began and progressed, Sakura was diligent and understood it all. Her parents had always told her she had a gifted mind and now she was ecstatic to put it good use. As her pin moved over her paper she could feel the disturbance beneath her begin to settle and fade and by the end of the lecture she felt like herself again and breathed a silent sign a relief. As the bell rang to end their studies she began to pack her belongings into her shoulder bag, and as she reached down to clip it closed a shadow cascaded upon her, forcing her gaze upward.

"HI!" An over exuberant blonde boy beamed down at her with warm blue orbs "I'm Uzumaki, Naruto! I'm going to be the next Hokage! What's your name?"

Sakura blinked, slightly confused and rather dazed by this sudden presence "Haruno, Sakura" she managed to blurt out before rising for her seat, her eyes never leaving his. The burning sensation was back, but not like before and to her it felt more so like she had met him sometime before and tried to recall a nonexistent memory. As she rose to her feet there was a still and awkward air between the two of them and Naruto shifted his feet nervously.

"I like your hair…" He said shyly, catching a glimmer of a blush rush to the young girls face "It's different, I like different and if anyone makes fun of you about it, I'll beat them up." He smiled sheepishly at the green eyed girl who giggled at his cunning personality. "Can I…" he hesitated for a moment before finishing his question "walk you home?"

With his question she became startled and fumbled to retrieve her words that seemed to be failing her "I…well…ummm.." she stalled "won't your parents be looking for you? I don't want you to get into trouble…" She shifted her gaze down to her feet and looked up hesitant to catch his gaze. But in return she saw his bright eyes had grown darker and his face had grown somber and dull.

"I don't have any parents…" Naruto exclaimed quietly, shifting his feet before turning to leave.

"Wait!" Sakura called out; though this boy who called himself Naruto seemed awkward she couldn't help but feel some sort of comfort when she gazed into his eyes. _Perhaps…_ she thought _it would be nice to have company on the walk home…_

As they left the village side by side, they engaged in random conversation that Sakura contributed little to but listened with much eagerness, she believed she had found a companion in this boy, even if it was for just one day. But even with a new presence to occupy her mind, her thoughts still tugged to the boy named Sasuke and with the thought of his name, she could feel her heart lurch in her chest and though they had not really spoken, she felt herself dreaming of tomorrow in hopes he would return.

**O-o-O-o-O-o-O**

**Authors Note: They won't be young forever… IIIIIII promise, lol.**


	4. Chapter 4

Much to her liking and her dismay, the young boy she had met and knew as Sasuke returned to their studies the next day but they did not interact like before. Instead they admired the other in secret from afar and Sakura secretly ogled his intellect and skill as he demonstrated what the teacher had instructed to the entire class. But in her shy state and silent obsession, she realized she was not alone in her admiration and it has hard to miss. As Sasuke walked by the other young girls giggled and cooed to the other about how cute he was and Sakura couldn't help but feel the blood rush to her face out of jealousy. She had to talk to Sasuke before some other bubble head little girl won him over and shattered all her hopes for a chance with young nin.

She waited anxiously for the school bell to alarm their dismissal, her eyes glued to the clock as it seemed to aimlessly tick on. Finally, the bell roared through the school and the children hastily packed their bags and rushed home to their adoring and proud families, all except two. As Sakura skipped down the steps she called out to Sasuke who has already a good distance away from her. Straightening the crimson sash in her hair and smoothing out her attire she rushed for the raven haired vixen who had stricken with butterflies in her stomach as he waited patiently and respectfully for the bounding pink haired nin to approach him.

"Hi Sasuke!" Sakura said through forced breaths as she heaved to catch her wind. She smiled broadly her eyes shining with the purest intentions and Sasuke couldn't help but return such an expression as best he knew how. Though he had little to no interest in girls at his age he felt himself unable to break the thoughts of this particular female who had vexed him the day before. Most the girls at his school were nothing more than annoying fan-girls, more interested in his excellence and appearance than his personality. However, he found Sakura to be different, her presence was warm and not irritating and she actually had some interesting things to say, rather than just stare at him stupidly like all the others. They laughed and conversed on their walk home, talking about everything and nothing at the same time and when it came time to part their ways, Sakura couldn't help ask "Sasuke…" she murmured, shifting her gaze down to her sandaled feet "do you like me..?"

With her question Sasuke released a glimmer of a smile and put a comforting hand on her tiny shoulder, causing her gaze to shift upward where they're eyes locked the same way they did the day before. "You're my favorite" he said plainly as he smiled his best five year old smile he could manage before his mother beckoned him inside the house, leaving Sakura alone on the sidewalk to float in his words.

_I'm his favorite…_ she thought to herself as her face turned as red as the sash in her hair and she smiled dreamily all the way home and she was certain this memory would stay with her forever.

**Authors Note: :dies from the fluff: Okay…so it's fluffy and corny but their five so it's still in character cause Sasuke was still sorta sweet then….but now I can move on them being older and current, thank lord.**


	5. Chapter 5

_Moi…_ Sakura groaned to herself as she sat, waiting impatiently on a rock as Naruto relieved himself on a nearby bush out of view. _I hate being the only girl on this team…_ she huffed, blowing strands of her blushed hair away from her green eyes as she fiddled with the metal plate that rested neatly on her forehead. Her thoughts began to wonder as she sifted her fingers through her cherry blossom hair, almost alarmed when the strands stopped suddenly until she recalled the day she had extracted her own hair in order to save herself. Even though it had been almost a year sense then, it still felt unnatural to her. She smiled gently at the recalling memories and laughed a little on the inside at how ignorant she used to be, she had grown, all of them had, into something more worthwhile and no one could deny that they all fought with the agility and expertise of the ancients.

"Are you done yet, Naruto?" Sakura huffed, her back still turned away from the blonde nin in the distance. In the past, when they were young, she had found comfort in Naruto. But when they grew older she became cruel and mean and focused more energy into impressing the raven haired boy that had stricken her heart the day they met all those years ago. She had gone from being _his favorite_ to _brash _and _annoying._ Now things had changed, and she finally let the comfort she felt with Naruto's presence show and she had grown more grateful for his kind heart over the past few months and her skill as a ninja had erupted from her being, as if it had been laying dormant all these years. She had begun to find her strength, both mentally and physically and as such Lady Tsuande had taken her under her wing to teach the young nin her own tools of trade.

In the distance only a few yards away from her, stood her soul stealer, still as wonderful as the day she first saw him all those years ago. She smiled gently, masking it through strands of her hair that fell in her face. Though Sasuke had become distant and detached from all the suffering he had endured through the years, she was still as fond of him as ever though now she chose to admire from a distance, leaving him room to do as he pleased.

Though Sasuke had been scared and jaded he could not deny his heart strings tugged for the blushed haired and green eyed nin, now fully come to the age of seventeen.

_I'm glad she grew out of that awkward stage… _he hummed to himself as he masked his gaze through shadowy pieces of hair. He hated that he longed for, hated that her presences was comforting, hated her smile and hated that he loved all of her and hated even more, that he was to proud to show or admit it and for that, she was still annoying to him. _There's no room for love in my life…_ He repeated to himself on a daily basis while his eyes scanned her symmetrical body against his will. He prayed their usually tardy Sensei would show himself soon, otherwise he'd be forced to converse with the two other team mates out of sheer boredom and in an attempt to salvage what was left of his sanity.

"Did you hear that..?" Naurto hummed quietly as he proceeded to zip up his fly. His eyes focused on the shadows that lingered among them in the heavily wooded forest while he stood next to Sakura. Silence 

filled the air as the three of them listened for any murmur of sound that the three of them did not produce.

"THERE!" Sasuke beckoned before diligently throwing a Kunai knife into the wavering shadows of the forest. From his skilled throw no one expected an eruption of foes that lurked in the shadows but a skilled ninja is never taken off guard.

"It Sound Ninja! Spread out!" Naruto ordered, the three of them bounding backwards to better asset the situation.

"Ne, Don't bother yourselves we're only here for one thing…" one of the foes called out, his words slightly muffled by the endless array of bandages that were collected on his body. "Uchiha, come with us" he ordered shamelessly, the other two Nin locked into place behind him.

"You really think we're just going to let you walk away with Sasuke?" Sakura sneered, the corners of her mouth curling into an amused smirk as she positioned her body into her fighting stance.

"At least humor us with a fight…" Naruto continued as he slowly withdrew a Kunai from his side pouch his eyes shifting up to Sasuke who stood steadfast with a cold look across his face, his eyes turned red with the power of the Sharingan as he studied his opponents.

Though his face was covered, a smile crept across his eyes as their words struck a chord of amusement with the battle addicted nin. "Suite yourself…" he growled as he lowered his body, a shadow casting above him. As he looked up to study what was so darkening, his glance caught the left heel of Sasuke as he knocked him into a nearby tree.

"If you're going to pretend like you own me…" Sasuke growled as he strolled toward the disoriented opponent "at least tell me why!"

"'Names Dosu…" The sound ninja's voice radiating amusement as he rubbed his bruised jaw "and you'll find out when we get there…"


	6. Chapter 6

The one who called himself Dosu rose from his submissive posture slowly taking his fighting stance, his other two comrades from sound mimicking his movements.

"You were foolish to only come as three…" Sasuke hissed, distain sewn deep into his voice as he readied himself to take on the self proclaimed leader of the group. His muscles tensed under him, he flexed his body before pushing off the ground in a rapid manner, rushing his opponent. Splinters of fine wood reigned from the sky as the entangled bodies slammed into a nearby tree, their flesh becoming riddled with minuscule specks of splintery wood. With his foe pinned at his mercy Sasuke grabbed the sound nin's forearm and spun him mercilessly, flinging him into the open air space where Sasuke quickly joined him with a firm round house kick to his cheekbone, sending the seemingly unworthy opponenent crashing to the earth below him.

Dosu's comrades stood by and watched, unmoved by the event but hesitant to engage with the other Leaf for they were not willing to risk their own necks for what they viewed as a mindless mission to retrieve the Uchiha. Dosu rose slowly from the dust that had collected around him, coughing and spackling the ground with crimson droplets from his inner wounds before he raised his head to view his approaching target.

"Like I said…" Sasuke smirked, landing with grace on the parts of grass that were still intact "You were foolish to come with only three…" With his words he grabbed Dosu by his collar, tugging at his wraps, Sasuke's Sharingan shining violently at the one who challenged him. "Now who sent you?!" He demanded to know, shaking the other nin violently. But despite the young Uchiha's demanding and violent efforts he received no answer from Dosu, instead the Sound Nin merely laughed, mocking the raven haired boy whose eyes were violent with rage. Sasuke, enraged by the ninja's behavior raised his fist to silent the idiot's laughter, only to have his foe rip a few strands of cloth from his bandaged face and with his index and ring finger, whistle sharply into the fading distance causing Sasuke's closed fist to stop inches from his foes face. Almost instantly the scent of the air shifted and changed with the smells of sweat and stale blood filling their nostrils. Sasuke glowered and pulled the bandaged nin close to his face.

"What did you do?!" He questioned harshly, catching a hint of a smirk curl up into Dosu's uncovered mouth.

"Whoever said…we came with just three?"

With Dosu's words spoken, Sasuke released the hold he had on the other nin causing the sound Ninja to plop the ground while Sasuke inched backward, his eyes scanning the tree tops and shadows for the invisible creature that lurked somewhere in those woods.

"Sakura…" Sasuke spoke solemnly to the blushed haired girl. "Get out of here, go bring reinforcements Naruto and I can-" His eyes met the sharp, stern glare of Sakura's normally humble face and as he locked eyes with her, he could feel his words failing him while she glowered at him through her brow.

"The hell with you, Sasuke" she growled, catching the hint of surprise in his eyes "I'm not going anywhere, I'm NOT a little girl anymore and I'm not WEAK!" She protested, clenching her fists out of aggravation. She had never flat out protested anything Sasuke had ever said and the feeling was refreshing to her and admirable to Sasuke. But the moment was stifled when a crack of a branch wavered their attention. All three of their bodies became riddled with tension as they waited to see what would leap from the unknown. With a snap that rumbled like thunder and a hiss that sounded like steam from a kettle, their true opponent was made visible as it lurched from the trees. There before them rose the largest snake any of them had ever encountered in their lives and in an act of surprise they each took a staggering step backward, trying to analyze the situation.

"This isn't good…" Naruto stammered, his nerves rattled by the presence of this unexpected reptile. But Sakura surprised both young men as she gripped her kunai knife and let out a mighty yell, she rushed the beast with so much determination it could have almost of been deemed insanity.

"SAKURA!" Both men yelled, watching in amazement they saw her leap magnificently into the air cutting through all obstacles and running her kunai down the jugular of the scaly menace. The beast releasing a hellish cry, spewing purple from its scales and coating the once lush green grass that rested beneath their feet. But this beast did not falter from its wounds, much to everyone's surprise, it recovered and unfortunately for Sakura, rather quickly.

She landed with grace against the lush forest floor and almost instantly the beast rushed her from behind and had it not been for her comrades warning cries she would surely have been finished. In what seemed almost effortless she spun quickly with speed and agility on her heels with barely enough time to prep or even counter attack. With the beast speeding towards her she turned to greet its opened mouth, its pearly fangs bared and thirsty for blood but Sakura wouldn't let it have its fill. She braced herself for the force she was going to endure and when scales met flesh, Sakura used all the strength she felt she could conjure up as she gripped the reptile's top jaw with one hand and the bottom jaw with the other.

It quickly became a struggle of power as Sakura's muscles screamed and her feet dug trenches as the snake began to overpower her being. She grimaced and tried to regain her footing with no avail as she continued to slowly be pushed backwards.

_If only I could overpower this thing enough to break it jaw!!_ She thought to herself as she continued to struggle.

"Fire Style!" A familiar voice beckoned from overhead as a reign of flames fell from the blue sky and pummeled their scaly opponent. "Keep holding him, Sakura!" Sasuke beckoned to his female team-mate who was trying desperately to regain her forceful stance.

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" Naruto yelled with fury as he proceeded to clone himself a thousand times over, pummeling their scaly foe with swift blows and jabbing kicks in an attempt to distract the snake from its current target. But the snake's attention never wavered as it's yellow eyes began to stare deep into Sakura.

_I know what you are…_

The phrase hissed through her mind and roared like thunder into the depths of unlived memories causing her head to scream and her thoughts to rattle. Her concentration broken she was finally the prey the reptile had hoped for and with a forceful shove the creature was certain he would overwhelm the beautiful nin. But much to its surprise it instead met the concrete stance of a proud and determined Haruno.

"I don't know what you are…or where you came from…" She heaved, her eyes glowing as she glared through her brow, her hands violently clamped around the creatures jaw "but I'm not going to let you win!" With her powerful words her fingers dug deep into the rough scales and with an invigorating yell she twisted her arms and motioned her body causing the snake to slam onto its side, its jaw cracking as it split in two different directions, splinters of bone shooting out from his rough outer layer. The beast was dead.

With a shortness of breath, Sakura retracted her fingers that were knuckle deep in scaly flesh and were now covered in purple fluid that matched various other parts of her body. She heaved and desired nothing more than to catch her breath as she rested one of her now sticky hands on her knees and wrapped the other around her cramping sides before she fell to her knees from exhaustion.

"Sakura!" Naruto rang out as he rushed to her side "Sakura, are you okay?" He received no reply as the pink haired nin desperately tried to regain her senses, her body screaming and her mind roaring while her eyes refused to focus on anything but inside of her lids.

_What'd that thing do to me?!_ She cried on the inside, gripping her head and staining her hair with globs of violet before she rushed to her feet in an act to escape the images that raged inside of her.

"Sakura!" Naruto called to her as he attempted to rush after her, only to catch the hand of his raven haired comrade.

"Let her go, Naruto." He said solemnly.

"What are you talking about?!" Naruto barked "She could be hurt! I've never seen anything like that in my life!" He roared as he motioned toward the dead reptile that Sakura had literally defeated with her bare hands. But as he stared into the Uchiha's eyes, he knew there would be no arguing with him, if Sakura _was_ injured, it wasn't unlike herself to heal her own wounds if others were not in need of her services. All they could do is return to Konoha to report the incident and hope she returned safely. The sound Ninja that had been evasive before the snake had vanished in the wake of the battle with the reptile and though he'd never let Naruto know it, Sasuke would venture to look for her without his company.


	7. Chapter 7

Sakura ran from the pain, ran from the anguish and the blindness the consumed her. Her eyes swollen with tears, she was certain she'd run into something if she didn't clear her vision. She had run so long her knees began to ache, the gooey violet remains of the snake had begun to crust over and flake from her ivory skin while her usually fine blushed hair had become matted and gritty. Her pace began to dissipate to a slow trot and then to a steady walk as she began an attempt to asses her surroundings.

_How long have I been gone…?_ She pondered, turning her head upward to gaze at the sun that had begun to sink below the trees, streaking the sky with vibrant purples, oranges and reds. _I don't recognize these woods…_ she thought rather flatly, huffing strands of her wild hair from her face as she pressed on, looking for some kind of landmark that might help her determined just where she had landed herself. As she pushed through branches and trunks of towering trees she was close to giving up hope at finding any kind of land reference from the ground as night began to consume the forest, the moon flooding the land with its silver rays as it filled the sky with its warming presence while stars began to peek out to join the masquerade of night.

She sifted through trees and starlight before finally coming to a small clearing where the moons rays seemed focused and content. Spackles of yellow light glittered from the nearby trees before vanishing and reappearing again.

_Firefly's…_ Sakura thought to her-self as a smile swept her face. Her head had finally stopped screaming but the images charred her brain, even if none of them made sense to her. The images had come to her like a poorly drawn picture book, fuzzy, inconsistent, and rapid and filled with hiccups. She held a still crusted hand to her smudged forehead as her mind began to burn again as she recalled the events that had unfolded prior to her blinding run-away act. _I'm such an idiot…_ she scorned herself for acting so carelessly in her act of desperation to rid herself of the pain within. _Naruto and Sasuke must of have thought I ingested something toxic…or had a bad run in with Lady Tsuande's Sake…_ Her mind trailed as she released a shallow chuckle at the scenarios she was imagining inside her calm mind. She sighed a breath of fresh air before she leaned her head back to bask in the glow of the night, a smile gleaming across her face as she felt relived from the pain she had just endured, though her mind free of the pain, it was not free of the wonder it had always possessed. What had the snake done to her? Did it charm her? Curse her? She had to know, if for no other reason than to learn how to defend her-self against it the next time around.

In her inquisitive state of mind, she barely noticed she was far from alone in that quaint little clearing but little to her knowledge she stood their being watched ever so carefully with miles between her and the unwavering pair of eyes.

The image of Sakura swirled deep in the smooth crystal that rested peacefully on a circular table, its owner's eyes unmoved by anything else that stirred around him. The girl had not only surprised, but perplexed him and she was the last one he had ever expected to posses such power. But for ruining one of his pets, he'd make that pretty face pay but not before he extracted what he truly burned for from her. His legs crossed and his fingers placed delicately between his lips and chin, he watched her from behind glass, miles away from her eyes.

"Itachi.." The slimy yet smooth voiced rang out to one of his nearby slaves that stood obediently behind him.

"Hai…" The somber voice responded as he emerged from the shadows, his sharingan eyes and metal headband glinting off the dim light that illuminated from the crystal.

"Bring her to me." He ordered, little emotion lingering in his voice.

"And what of Sasuke?" Itachi questioned as he stared at the pink haired nin through the looking glass, catching a sinister smile stretch wide across his masters pale face.

"We'll give him an offer he can't refuse…" The voice hissed as his master moved from his sitting position to stand and linger in the eyes of his obedient servant. "Do it." He ordered more forcefully before leaving the room, no doubt to perfect his devious plan. He left Itachi to watch the glass that still swirled with the image of the young girl, his blood red eyes swirling with distain as he saw the one person who made his skin crawl enter the seemingly perfect little world that spun below him.

_Sasuke…_ He rumbled through his throat, his eyes glowing as he focused his chakra onto the tiny, easily crushable world of the looking glass causing his masters mirror to splinter and crack with his disdain for his own flesh and blood.

-O-o-O-o-O-

Sakura looked up from her meditative state to see the lingering Sasuke slowly approach her. At the sight of her comrade her eyes lit up with enthusiasm and she prepped herself to rush him with a hug, but stopped herself from smothering the emotionally detached nin.

"Hey Sasuke!" She beamed, slowly walking toward him, catching a glint of a smile curl up into the fine corners of his mouth. She blushed almost instantly and thanked the stars for their poor lighting to mask her flushed face. "About earlier…" she began to explain, only to be cut short.

"That was something…" Sasuke proclaimed his smooth voice calm and collected as he looked away from her startled expression that transformed into child like excitement.

"You really think so?" She asked shyly, her face growing hotter with his compliment.

Sasuke, in an attempt to redeem himself to his natural ways huffed lightly "Don't go getting a big head, Sakura…I said it was something, not amazing." He saw her beautiful smile fade from her face, as if it almost melted off into the somber frown that now creased the corners of blushed lips. _Even if it really was…_ He added in the back of his mind, feeling a twinge of guilt for being the cause of such a miserable expression on her face.

"Right." Sakura retorted sharply, as if the harsh comment had not fazed her.

In a desperate attempt to save the conversation Sasuke blurted out "Why did you run off afterwards anyway…it's been a pain in my ass coming out here to find you." He raised his dark eyes to greet the flickering green flames of Sakura's orbs as she fumed only a few feet away from him.

"I never asked you to come after me, Sasuke." She barked as she pushed her way past him "and what happened earlier doesn't concern you…I'll speak to Lady Tsuande when we return." With her final sentence she turned a cold shoulder to the Uchiha who smirked at her sharp reply.

_She really has changed…_he thought quietly to himself as he took in this newly developed Sakura while walking behind her as he desperately tried to avert his eyes from ogling her well padded lower backside.

-O-o-O-o-O-

**AN: I like this chapter…lol. I'm sorry if Sakura seems a little OCC…but I still think she's pretty well within character. I'm kind of sad this story isn't doing as well as I thought..but I love it…I hope other do as well… **


	8. Chapter 8

Sakura continued to walk in front of Sasuke on the journey back and as she began to calm herself she started to feel regret for giving Sasuke such a cold shoulder. However at the same time she couldn't help but wonder why she continued to bother attempting to reciprocate affection from the Uchiha. Everyone had always thought she was crazy for attempting, deliberately and silently, to love Sasuke whose heart had been scorned with hate and vengeance from so many years ago. She knew he still harvested resentment and bitterness towards his brother and she couldn't blame him. But it never yielded her undying faith that she had in him and that's what few people understood. She had no faith in them, together as lovers, she was certain it'd never happen (though it never stopped her fantasies about the handsome boy) but her faith in him was unwavering and undeniable.

_I don't care what they say…_ She whispered in the back of her mind _I'm in love with you… _A smile crept across her face that was accompanied by a rose hue in her cheeks as she glanced black almost flirtatiously at the raven haired vixen. She accidently converted back to her more girlish form and giggled lightly as she eyed him over her shoulder, catching an inquisitive look from the slightly older nin who looked at her with a questionable eyebrow making Sakura snap back to her matured state. _Idiot…_ She smacked herself subconsciously for being so awkward around him like she used to be. _I don't need the pain…I thought I was over this crap…_ She scorned herself as she looked down at her feet trail in the blackened grass that was shadowed from trees overhead, not paying mind to the fact she was walking in a dark forest where attention is best left on your surroundings rather than ones feet.

"Sakura, watch out!" Sasuke called out to the blossom a moment to late as she mindlessly walked herself right into a tree.

She said nothing as she sat, knees together on the itchy grass scolding herself for being so distracted by the one person who knew how to tug at her heart strings before cutting them completely and leaving her broken hearted over and over again. She wasn't even sure if she had endured any injuries from her recklessness and frankly she didn't care. But a twinge of light and a flicker of heat caught her irritated expression, ripping it from the reclusive shadows that hid her shame and she glanced up to see Sasuke's index finger had turned in a miniscule flame providing enough light to illuminate each other faces. She watched him kneel down beside her and bring the flame close enough to her pale skin to study her face as he began to check her for scrapes, his eyes merely inches from hers now and she could feel the color rising back into her cheeks. She couldn't recall a time they had been so close to the other.

"What are you doing..?" Sakura asked hesitantly, Saskue's onyx eyes shifting upward to look into her own emerald eyes before brushing the back of his hand against her cheek.

"You're cheek…it's scraped." He said rather dryly before moving the light to examine her other body parts the light lingering for a moment too long on the hint of cleavage that rested under her ripped clothing from the previous battle. _Ignorant woman…_ He scolded to himself trying to distract his mind from his undeniable hormones. _Who runs into a tree? That's just stupid…_ he continued to ramble on inside his brain until Sakura gently moved his light away from her body as she looked away, still feeling rather distraught.

"I'm fine, thank you." She said quietly, Sasuke staring at her for a moment longer his illumination before gently blowing out the tiny flame. There was a still air between them as silence over took their surroundings and Sasuke prayed she would break the silence like she normally did but alas there was no such luck as she stared blankly into the trees.

Sasuke sighed heavily before rising to his feet, extending a hand to Sakura who still sat on the forest floor. She shifted her eyes to the raven haired nin and smiled gently before taking one of the only kind gestures he had ever offered her.

"Sakura…" Sasuke began speaking rather quietly as if afraid to wake the sleeping forest "About earlier…what I said, about what you did with the snake being something?"

_What the hell was he doing? Was he…APOLOGIZEING?! _Sakura stared at him, no doubt with the eyes of that similar to a deer caught off guard. Had she truly hit the tree THAT hard?

"It was pretty…." Sasuke hesitated "Impressive…but you still can't beat me." He said slyly before slinking past her, a smug grin creased across his face eyeing her mischievously.

Sakura raised her eye along with an eyebrow as he walked by a broad smirk filling her lips as she crossed her arms in front of her chest. "Oh really?" Her voice condescending "prove it."

The challenge made Sasuke stop dead in his track and turn slowly towards the confidant nin who radiated with mischief. "You can't be serious" Sasuke's voice smug and smooth with ease but he could see her expression was entirely serious and his face fell flat with a cold stare as he turned his back to her. "No" he said retorted coldly.

_Don't let him walk away from you like that!_ Sakura screamed inside her head as she diligently racked her brain for a way to convince him to test her abilities. "Give me one good reason why and don't play the female card on me." She sneered waiting his verbal response but much to her surprise and likening she got a physical one instead.

With movements that could only be matched by the wind, Sasuke pinned Sakura against a trunk of a tree his dark eyes gleaming at her through a seductive grin.

"Is that what you want?" He whispered delicately into her ear his warm breath feathering her cool flesh making the hairs on her body stand on edge.

_This is it…_ She thought as her body lurched with enough force to through Sasuke from her both of them taking their traditional fighting stances. Weither she was doing it in attempt to prove herself, impress Sasuke or for her own mental health, she wasn't sure but as she balanced the gleaming Kunai in-between her slender ivory digits she knew one thing, she had to win or at least come close.

-o-O-o-O-o-O-o-

**AN: DUN dun DUN! Hahaha. Whoo! Rawr! . just as a side note I got some inspiration for this chapter from the song "Bleeding Love" by Leona Lewis. That song makes my heart ache… **


	9. Chapter 9

Sasuke had no reason to use his sharingan, so he thought. He knew he was Sakura's weakness, he knew what the blossom longed for deep inside her soul and he needed no Chakra to see that. It'd be simple and easy to the point of almost no challenge to stricken her defenseless.

_Just act like you want her…_ the thought churned in his brain as he stood steadfast overlooking the agile woman that stood before him, only parts of her visible by moonlight.

She made the first move, rushing him with such force Sasuke nearly lost his footing as she wrapped herself around his body and spun him into the thick bark of a lingering oak. He grimaced from the blow but recovered quickly. With subtle speed he gripped her ivory thighs, his hands closer to parts of her than they should have been and as Sasuke had hoped for, his touch sent chills down her spine and her mind shifted to other things than the battle at hand. It was that moment of distraction that Sasuke needed. With a firm grip he grabbed her torso and forearm and twisted her body till she yelped with pain a seductive grin growing wide across his face as he slowly released the pressure he was using to restrict her movements, moving his left hand up between her breasts to caress her face from behind.

_Sasuke's a pervert! _Sakura screeched inside her mind as his hand trailed up her body. With his grip wavering she shifted her body and tucked her legs under to swiftly strike him in his abdomen, he released her with the air quickly leaving his diaphragm. She landed firmly on her feet and spun to face him, her eyes glowing against the dark surroundings. _Is he toying with me?_ She couldn't help but let the thought elude her mind for a mere moment. If he was playing with her emotions, she decided, then she would firmly assert herself on his groin, stifling any thoughts he _might _have had of conceiving a child and saving the Uchiha clan. She watched him recover from her abdomen blow and slowly locked her body in place, if she was going to win, she had to put aside her emotions and she knew she couldn't allow herself to be smitten by this boy in the time of battle, even if this was considered play.

He watched her lock her stance and grinned at her determination. He'd never admit to anyone that he wasn't pretending to enjoy being so close to her, as demented as it sounded the battle gave him an excuse to touch her without looking foolish or weak. They lunged for the other, their bodies colliding; they laced fingers and were entwined in a tango of strength. Sasuke could feel the blood flow to his hands become restricted with Sakura's grip tightening and twisting the loose skin under his diligently wrapped flesh. In an act to save his digits he managed to free one hand from her merciless grip and with one flawless movement, scraped a Kunai across her chest causing her to lurch backwards and release her black haired opponent.

The scratched was clean and not deep but with the strike blood trickled from the wound and the fabric that had been cut folded down to vaguely expose the top part of her right breast thought Sakura seemed numb to the feeling. She braced herself against grass and dirt and slammed the boy into the ground their bodies somersaulting against rock and dirt as they rolled and tumbled until finally, Sakura landed as the dominate one, her body sprawled over on top of the Uchicha.

With a swift movement she restrained him, not that Sasuke was putting up much of a fight and with a vengeful gleam in her eye, she took a piece of his flesh for his own. Matching the wound he had given her, Sasuke now had a gash just above his right breast and he looked at her, more shocked than mortified. Sasuke watched her gaze shift and her eyes swirl into a victoriously seductive expression as she slowly lowered herself on top him to whisper delicately into his ear.

"Looks like we're even…"

"Which means you still can't beat me…" Sasuke retorted slyly as he pushed her up to look at her delicate face that was now illuminated by much more that starlight. In the wake of their playful banter 

the moon had succumbed to the waking dawn as the earth began to warm from the yellow rays of the sun and streak the sky with vibrant oranges and pink as it hurled itself over the horizon.

"Should I come back later?" A calm, collected voice echoed to the two nin who were still, for a lack of better observation, jumbled on the forest floor.

"Kakashi-Sensei!" Their voices alarmed as they both scrambled to their feet, Sasuke trying to move as quickly as possible from under the pink haired nin that had been resting on top of him. They rose to their feet, both of them bowing respectfully to their mentor who eyed them with curiosity flickering in his one visible eye.

"Don't get up on my account." Kakashi snickered, catching the cold glare of his raven haired student and the hard flush of Sakura.

"What are you doing here?" Sasuke growled, folding his arms over his chest.

"Well…" Kakashi began "When you and Naruto went back to Konoha to report the incident that happened earlier yesterday….and then reported Sakura missing…and then you went missing Sasuke…Tsuande felt the only logical thing to do was to go look for you both." Sasuke took note that Kakashi seemed to be smiling under his cloth covered face and proceeded to glare some more at his mentor. "Lucky for me, you both made it an easy mission." Kakashi turned his attention towards Sakura who was still as red as her uniform and hadn't removed her gaze from the grass that accompanied her feet. "Sakura…Tsuande wants to see you as soon as you get back." Kakashi received nothing more than a nod from the blossom as they silently made their way back to the village.

-o-O-o-O-o-O-o-

**AN: XD Sasuke is a pervert…but I figure he's got a lot of pent up vengeance and hormones…I'd be a pervert to. Lmao. Please review : D**


	10. Chapter 10

Tsuande was far from a patient person; in fact she was actually quite easily irritable but throw squad seven in to the mix and she could be downright furious.

"I can't believe you went to look for Sakura without me!" Naruto steamed at the Uchiha who stood cold and silent at the blond "after you told me NOT to go after her!" Naruto continued to fume over the recent events. _I don't know what he was thinking…_ Naruto's thoughts rolled through his brain as he glared, his eyes fixed on Sasuke who just seemed to ignore his actions. _It's not like he's got any interest in her…if he did…._ He stopped his thoughts before they could finish, they were too much to bear. He had enough issues with over confident black haired nin, he didn't need to add another one to it. But still the thought brewed in his mind _if he's toying with her for his own personal pleasure…_ His jaw became clenched and his knuckles turned white as he balled his hands into tightly woven fists, Sasuke smirking at the hostility the blond was emitting.

"You got something to say, Uzumaki?" It was rare for Sasuke to call Naruto by his last name but all the same it didn't stop the words that erupted from Naruto's lips.

"You're a bastard, Sasuke! I should beat you into the ground for what you did to Sakura!" Naruto exclaimed, his eyes shifting as they focused on his opponent. There was a time when Naruto had seen Sakura as something more than a team mate and rather as a love interest. Though as time and experiences had changed them all, those feelings faded and now she had become something of a sister and cherished comrade.

"Uzumaki, your ass, my foot, outside!" Sasuke barked; the tension between to two Shinobi almost potent.

"**BOTH** of you **SIT YOUR ASSES DOWN**!" Tsuande roared through her tower as her eyes threw daggers at the two restless Shinobi while Sakura remained quiet. Her two male comrades hesitant to obey but slowly backed away from the other, their bodies still riddled with tension for the other. "Now…" Tsuande heaved in an overzealous attempt to sound pleasant "Who would like to explain to me what happened last night?"

Sakura attempted to the explain the unraveling of her mind, but Sasuke beat her to it.

"It was my fault, Lady Tsunade" his voice as smooth and confident as ever. He met her gaze that peered at him through laced fingers that rested neatly on the bridge of her top lip, a flicker of integrity flashing through her amber orbs as he locked eyes with his superior. "When Sakura ran off, I instructed Naruto not to chase her and did not inform him that I had plans to retrieve her if she had not returned by night fall." There was an awkward silence that fell over the room as Sasuke continued to look at the 5th Hokage whose expression had not changed. She wanted to challenge his intellect and reasoning with the juvenile question of _Why_ if nothing more than to just seem him subconsciously squirm as he tried to avoid the boulder of explanation that would have come hurling toward him. Tsuande grinned, there was no way in hell that Sasuke would ever admit that he went for fear of Sakura's well being however it'd bring her great amusement to watch him wiggle under the pressure of making up a full proof lie on the spot.

"Naruto, Sasuke…" Tsuande hummed through her slender fingers "you're dismissed…I need to speak to Sakura in private." The male Shinobi did as they were instructed, bowing respectfully before exiting the room. "Kakashi…make sure they don't kill each other." Tsuande moaned as she rubbed her temples, she had defiantly not consumed enough Sake yet for _**this**_ kind of day. As she lifted her eyes to take in the image of the pink haired shinobi she smiled gently. "With an expression like that Sakura, you would have thought your best friend just passed on." Tsuande said in the most comforting voice she could conjure up this early in the morning.

"I apologize, Tsuande-Sama." Sakura spoke bleakly her eyes still transfixed on anything other than her superior.

"Why the long face, Sakura?" Tsuande spoke gently trying to coax the young girl she had spent so much time with prior to the recent events. "I heard about your victory with the reptile, you should be feeling victorious, not defeated…" Her words left Sakura unmoved and her miniscule patience level was quickly dwindling. "Whatever it is, Sakura, you can tell me."

It was true that Tsuande had almost become something of a mother figure in the eyes of Sakura yet she still felt a lump in her throat as she tried to explain the events that unfolded her peculiar behavior. Sakura proceeded to explain the snake, the words she heard and the images that smoldered her brain and haunted her mind, yet made no sense at all. At the end of her conclusion, she felt relieved that she had spoken to someone but not any less lighter about the events that had happened prior to her confession. Tsuande remained quiet for a moment to long, leaving Sakura with an unsettling pit in her stomach. Finally, her blonde superior rose from her cherry wood desk that was riddled with neglected paperwork as she stood in front of her large office window that over looked the beautiful village below.

"Sakura…" Tsuande's voice gentle yet firm "I need Squad 7 to return to the place where you battled the snake…we need to retrieve data from the specimen to be analyzed. This is to be done as soon as possible…you're dismissed." Though Tsuande was not patient, she was always firm and direct when giving orders and with her new mission abroad Sakura exited the 5th Hokages office with much eagerness.

"What are you thinking, Tsuande…" Kakashi's voice swayed through the air as he appeared from the shadows uninvited and unexpected.

"I'm thinking…" Tsuande replied as she placed her polished had on the glass of her window, her eyes growing somber with grief "That if it's Orochimaru…squad seven is in for one hell of a ride…"

-O-o-O-o-O-o-O-

**AN: oOoOoOoOo Plot points…. XD I have a life…I swear…It's just so darn easy to write at work because all I do answer phone for 8 hours. Lol. Please Review!**


	11. Chapter 11

Sakura exited the office of the 5th Hokage where who two other team mates stood opposite ends of the other, ignoring the others existence as much as humanly possible. Sakura giggled lightly at the sight before her.

_Something's never change…_ She sighed gently as Naruto perked up at the sight of his comrade as she exited the office and gently closed the door behind her.

"Everything okay, Sakura?" Naruto spoke softly as if comfort the troubled nin. But through her worries she put on a façade and gave Naruto the biggest smile her face could endure without looking sloppily fake.

"Tsuande-Sama has a mission for us." She spoke with confidence as she eyed the two nin who looked at her inquisitively. "She needs us to go back to where the snake was defeated and retrieve a specimen sample from it, but first…" She looked down at her torn and stained attire and frowned _one more uniform for the pile…_ she thought to herself. Her appearance was less than appeasing and she knew she smelt something unpleasant and though she wasn't one to be overly fussy about her appearance…she had two day old reptile remains on her skin along with her own dried blood and that was just too much for her to deal with on top of sleep deprivation and hunger. "I need to bathe..." She concluded, looking up at her two male counterparts who rolled their eyes at her girlish hygiene.

O-o-O-o-O

With the boys left amongst themselves Sakura pushed on the door to her cozy and quaint apartment that was still as neat as she left it two days ago. She sighed heavily, eyeing the bed with much enthusiasm but fought her natural instinct to crawl into bed and not wake up till the sun had risen the next day.

"Yooo! Sakura-Chan, that you?!" Came a voice from the tiny kitchen around the corner.

"Hai, Ino! It's me!" Sakura responded as her cocky blonde friend came around the corner as Sakura kicked off her shoes before entering her humble abode that she shared with her childhood friend.

"Moi…" Ino said as she leaned up against the door frame to her room, slurping on some freshly brewed ramen that teased Sakura's sense, reminding her she had not eaten in two days. "Where have you been?" Ino mumbled through a mouth full of noodles.

Sakura shrugged as she began to draw her bath "No where…" she retorted, only to hear Ino's brash voice call her on her bluff.

"You're full of crap, Haruno!" Ino swallowed the remainder of her noodles before proceeding in her sentence. "I heard all about you running off and Sasuke coming to your aid! You were in the woods with him _**all**_ night! You can't tell _**ME**_ you weren't anywhere! Not when you've been gone for two days with Sasuke in tow!"

Sakura giggled as she continued to focus on her bath, drawing in the relaxing smell of her sandalwood oils she had become so fond of. As she shut the warm water off she turned to Ino who was still looking at her as stern as ever, her expression quickly softening as she saw the wound that rested visibly right above her friends right breast.

"Geez, Sakura! What the hell happened to you?!" Ino blurted out as she motioned towards the crusted wound before taking in the rest of her friends physical condition. "Why didn't you heal yourself?"

Sakura smiled gently, she always knew Ino meant well even if others didn't see her in that light "You know I'm frugile with my Chakra, Ino."

"Yeah…but…" Ino was know kneeling on the floor, examining the flesh for herself "that's going to leave a scar, now no one will want to marry you off and you'll be stuck living with me forever!" Ino waved her hands dramatically in the air in an attempt to make Sakura laugh and it worked. "I'll leave you to your bath, Haruno…you gonna be around for awhile?"

Sakura shook her head in response "After this I have another mission with Squad Seven…" she retorted, slowly unzipping the back of her frayed uniform. As she finished unzipping she was almost alarmed when Ino had not replied as she looked over her shoulder she saw the doorway where she had been standing was empty and Sakura frowned. She missed her younger years that were filled with play instead of missions and drama. As she sank into her bath she groaned with pleasure as the warm water flushed her skin and her sandalwood oil soaked deep into her pores. She enjoyed it while she could and 

after she scrubbed her hair and bathed till her skin was wrinkled she quickly pulled a fresh uniform from her closet and neatly placed her blue headband back in its proper place amongst her now freshly washed and combed hair. She took one last look in her reflection glass before she signed with a slight smile and moved her way towards the door until a steaming bowl of ramen with a sloppily written note caught her eye.

_Sakura,_

_Don't work too hard, you idiot._

_You're Friend and Competition,_

_Ino._

_P.S. The Raman's poisoned. I just put it here to piss you off. ; P_

Sakura giggled and smiled at the letter her friend had left and with haste she grabbed the bowl and a pair of chop sticks and hastily walked and ate as she made her way to greet her comrades.

o-O-o-O-o-O-o

**AN: I guess this would be considered a filler chapter?? I dunno…I wanted to write some Ino goodness…I always thought she was interesting…at least to me.**


	12. Chapter 12

Sakura struggled to find her comrades in the bustling village of the Leaf but at last she spotted them and waved vigorously to catch their attention, Naruto spotting her first.

"Ne, Teme…" Naruto said vaguely to his comrade and opponent "Sakura-Chan is here." Sasuke said nothing as he followed the blond to where they would intercept with the pink haired Shinobi his eyes darker than usual.

Sakura watched them approach, taking in both their appearances and couldn't help but think at how both of them had grown into rather handsome young men. Naruto had, for the most part, lost the orange in his uniform and now sported a more traditional look with more black in tow.

_It's much more fitting…_ Sakura thought to herself as she smiled at the blue eyed vixen. So many girls had begun to swoon over the matured Shinobi even if Naruto was far too oblivious to notice the horde of girls that ogled him from afar. But behind Naruto is where Sakura's eyes really fell transfixed as Sasuke approached her ever so quietly, his dark eyes brewing with inner thoughts, she could feel the color rise in her cheeks. His chest exposed, he wore a white shirt that hung from his shoulders and as he neared her she could see the mark she had made with her Kunai vaguely expose itself from behind the loose fitting cloth and she couldn't help but finger the spot where her own matching abrasion rested. His black pants tied with loose fitting cord she cursed him under her breath. _That cocky bastard…he __**knows **__he looks good…does he __**want**__ me to look? Or does he want to attract all the idiotic fan girls to __**make**__ me jealous? _She began to fume, ringing her gloved hands into her skirt, catching the quirky eyebrow of her fellow blond companion.

"Sakura-Chan…are you alright?" Naruto asked kindly as he eyed the visibly distraught girl, Sakura quickly glancing up to smile gently at the other Shinobi.

"Hai, Naruto-Chan…I'm fine. Shall we be going?" With a swift nod and a gentle smile from Naruto and a vague expression from Sasuke, they began to retrace their steps from two nights ago.

-O-o-O-o-O-o-O-o-O-

The three of them moved swiftly through the trees, dropping down gently to the distorted earth from the battle that had happened only 48 hours ago. Though much to their dismay they did not find the reptiles remains, however in its place the grass had been coated with a thick and sticky layer of ash leaving the stagnant air around the remains with a heavy stench of tar and burnt flesh.

"What is it, Sakura-Chan?" Naruto said through muffles as his hand clamped around his nose in order to shield the odor that lingered in the air. Naruto had been the only source of conversation for the whole trip sense Sasuke had taken it upon himself to ignore her existence in its entirety.

"I'm not sure, Naruto…" Sakura responded as she furrowed her brow to eye the suspicious substance, a fraction of it now inhabiting her gloved finger. "We need to take a sample back to Lady Tsuande…maybe she'll know what it is..." As she clipped a leaf from a low lying branch and scooped the substance into a small container for Lady Tsuande the last thing she ever expected as the shrill voice of Naruto warning her of danger.

"Sakura! SAKURA LOOK OUT!" Naruto's voice came nearly too late as the female Shinobi spun her body to look behind her, her eyes growing wide with fear as she quickly realized she had absolutely no time to counter attack or defend. The creature had come more silent and far more unexpected than the night as her eyes took in the image of fangs; she attempted to prep herself to dodge the hungry mouth of her scaly foe. But she realized it was in vain as the beast closed in around her in merely a flutter of her eyes and she grimaced and braced for the pain she was certain to endure yet much to her surprise never came.

As she slowly opened her eyes she witnessed one of the more gruesome images she had ever seen, Naruto had thrown himself in the beasts path and as such had suffered a substantial blow as he battled with the reptile in an act to give Sakura a fighting chance. Wedged between two fangs, with his abdomen punctured he fought to hold reptile as his blood dripped and splattered the lush forest floor while he firmly placed his one free arm against the roof of the beasts mouth in an attempt to keep the creature from crushing him completely.

"S-Sakura…" Naruto heaved and grimaced "Ge-get out of here!"

Sakura's green eyes were wide with horror "Nar-Naruto!" Her eyes swelled with tears as she attempted to reach out to her disadvantaged team mate.

"Get out of here!" He screamed his body and strength failing him.

"I'm not leaving you!" She cried as she attempted to rush to snake in an act to save her comrade only to have the forceful arms of Sasuke Uchiha wrap around her waist a glimmer of a smile creasing Naruto's lips.

"Take care of her, Teme…" With his final words his body failed him and the snake clamped its mouth shut before it spun with rapid agility and roared back into the woods from which it came, Sakura struggling against the steadfast hold Sasuke had on her.

"Let me go! DAMN YOU! I'll break your arms, I swear to god! Let me go! We have to follow that thing! We have to save him!" Sasuke tightened his grip to the point of restricting her airways before he spun her around, forcing her to look at him.

"**Listen to me!**" Sasuke's voice rugged and animalistic as his dark orbs dug deep into the weeping green eyes that looked back at him. "There's nothing we can do for him now…" He hung his head and raised a gentle hand to wipe her tears "Do you still have that sample?"Sakura nodded through her tears and lifted the small container, Sasuke grabbing it gently from her shaking body. "This is the only hope we have in saving him…Sakura…come, we must hurry."

-o-O-o-O-o-O-o-

**AN: OH NOES!! D: Stay tuned to see wtf I'll do next…poor Naruto…I'd love to tell you if Naruto is dead or alive…but I think that ruins the element of anticipation. Yes…I'm evil.**


	13. Chapter 13

With a tumble, trip and a thud Sakura bolted through Lady Tsuande's doors, her face flushed with tears as she threw herself on the paper riddled desk.

"Lady Tsuande!" Sakura cried uncontrollably, her arms folded over her face that was buried in the cherry wood desk as Sasuke entered the room in a more reasonable matter.

"What the hell is the meaning of this?!" Tsuande's eyes darting from Sakura to Sasuke "…where's Naruto…" a chill running through her voice as her amber eyes grew wide with fear. Sasuke slowly presenting the specimen sample she had asked for.

"Naruto's been taken hostage, Tsuande-Sama…" Sasuke said while handing his superior the sample of ash and tar. "This is all we could retrieve from the battle grounds before we were attacked again. We were hoping the sample could tell you who were up against."

"Naruto's dead…" Sakura whispered through her tears as she subconsciously leaned on Sasuke for emotional support who distantly comforted her.

"At this point…I'd rather him be dead…" Tsuande retorted, her voice stiff and rigid as she examined the sample the two other Shinobi brought back to her. Her eyes grew with hostility before she slammed her hands down her desk, sending papers fluttering to the ground. "DAMN IT!" She cried, running her hands through her blonde hair and cursing under her breath before turning towards the two young Shinobi that stared at her awkwardly. She exhaled heavily and braced herself for the explanation she was about to give. "It's Orochimaru…" her voice riddled with distain. It was a common fact that in the village of Konoha that everyone knew about Orochimaru but few knew of him and the great power he possessed and obsessed over. Tsuande was one of the few who knew what he was capable of and it chilled her to her very bones. "If Orochimaru discovers that Naruto possess the nine tailed fox…" Her thoughts trailed and she refused to finish her sentence, the situation in its entirety was frightful. She slowly shifted her eyes to two Shinobi who looked at her with hopes of orders, Sakura had ceased her crying and Sasuke's face was more stern than usual. "You will leave first thing the morning with another team to accompany you…"

"How will we know where to find him?" Sakura asked, her voice shaky and distant.

"I have a way…" Sasuke sneered before Tsuande dismissed them to be alone.

"Please…" Tsuande whispered to the fading night as she clutched the pendant that hung delicately between her breasts "Please…4th Hokage…please….help guide me."

-o-O-o-O-o-O-o-

Sakura retreated to her bed where emotional and physical exhaustion consumed her as silent tears spilled from her closed lids where she dreamed of the days when all three of them young and naïve to the pain reality caused. As Sakura slept, Sasuke lingered at a distance on a branch, the night's shadows cloaking him diligently as his Sharigan penetrated the forests darkest crevices.

"Show yourself, Itachi." Sasuke growled through the night as his Sharigan shifted and changed, his brother's image slowly uncoiling itself from the depth of night.

"Well…little brother….it's been a long time." Itachi's cold voice swam through the shadows, Sasuke's eyes glinting with rage.

"Shut-up!" He growled to his older brother "where the hell is Naruto, I know you have _something_ to do with it!"

"What makes you think I have any interest at all in that snot nose loud mouth brat you call a friend?" Itachi glowered at his younger brother, both of their eyes red with hunger. "Friends make you weak, little brother; you'll never be able to finish me the you dream of."

Sasuke smirked with amusement "Want to test that theory? Tell me where to find Naruto and when I arrive…I'll give you something worthwhile."

Itachi's eye's gleamed at his younger brother who smiled with confidence at his superior "the years have made you arrogant, ignorant and cocky, Sasuke. But all the same, if you desire to fulfill your death wish by my hands, so be it." With his words he threw Sasuke a parchment that was neatly rolled and bound by a delicate piece of string and before he turned to vanish into the still shadows of nightfall he turned to glance over his shoulder at his younger brother "bring the girl…and no one else." With his final words Itachi vanished, leaving Sasuke with coordinates and a feeling of satisfaction.

-O-o-O-o-O-o-O-

When dawn broke over the horizon Sasuke was there to wake Sakura at the earliest possible convince.

"Sakura…" Sasuke whispered as he shook her shoulder in an effort to wake her. Slowly her eyes opened as she groggily awoke from her sleeping state.

"SASU-" Her voice was quickly silence as Sasuke moved a bandaged hand over her lips to muffle her voice, pulling his index finger to his lips in an effort to inform her to be silent. Slowly he pulled the parchment his brother had given him from the ties in his cord belt and handed it to her.

"This is where we will find Naruto, dead or alive, I'm not sure…but this will lead us to him. Hurry, we must move swiftly." He turned towards the door as Sakura scrambled to get dressed.

"What of the others?" She whispered as she attempted to not wake her sleeping roommate, Ino.

Sasuke merely shook his head "There's only room for two on this journey, Sakura."

Her face froze with his response _Only room for two…but that means were disobeying orders and…how will Sasuke and I ever get along?! Ever sense Kakashi-Sensi saw us in the woods he's been…well…an ass! _The thoughts rolled through her mind as she laced her shoes and stood to leave. There was no time to argue or question anything…she would save that for a later time, if there ever was one. They left silently, their bags packed for a long journey and with their departure Sakura glanced back only once to eye the gate that provided the entrance to her wonderful home and she prayed she'd see it again.

AN: I have not forgotten the angelic plot line...incase you were wondering :wink:


	14. Chapter 14

Sakura didn't know how well this was going to go with Sasuke, ever sense the battle in the woods two nights ago things had been awkward between her and the raven haired man. Not that things were ever great, but at least they were never awkward. Now she felt confused, more so than usual and though she had given up, long ago, trying to win over the cold Uchiha's heart she felt herself thrown right back into that loop of uncertainty. Perhaps she should apologize, but for what? She did nothing wrong, so she thought anyways. She wanted to speak but she wasn't sure what to say, she was never sure what to say.

_Curse you, you stupid stupid boy and your stupid good looks and your stupid…stupidness! _Sakura fumed inside her brain _great…I can't even conjure up a good insult inside my brain._ She smacked her forehead and signed heavily, catching an unusual expression from Sasuke out of the corner of her eye. It was still hard to believe that she had been his team mate for so many years, yet still he vexed and frustrated her.

"Which way, Sakura." Sasuke hummed almost to himself.

Sakura slowly pulled the delicate piece of paper that would guide them on their journey from her side bag, studying it diligently. "It's in a strange tongue; it might take me a moment to- that way." She pointed to the east with her index finger, Sasuke looking at her with amazement behind seemingly emotionless eyes.

_She is intelligent…I'll give her that. _Sasuke mumbled inside his brain as he watched her take the lead in their quickening pace. _Doesn't make her any less annoying…_ He quickly added to his wavering thoughts as he marveled at her intellect. "Stupid girl…" He mumbled under his breath as she passed but her ears were well trained in the art of listening and her eyes shot him a cold, dirty look.

"Excuse me?" Her voice lined with hostility and disgust.

"Nothing." Sasuke quickly retorted, adverting his eyes to something other than her cold hard stare.

"You know what, Sasuke…" Sakura now inches from his face as she purposely invaded his personal space. "I don't give a damn if you like me, I don't give a damn if you hate my guts and I defiantly don't give a damn about your smoldering good looks and skills…but I DO give a damn about your insulting me and then denying it!"

Sasuke glared "I neither denied nor confessed to anything."

Sakura's eyes burned with fury as her face became flushed with anger "I refuse to be called stupid by the likes of you, Uchiha." Her body rigid with tension she stepped down and turned her back to him only to have his next phrase make her hair stand up on the back of her neck.

"Would you prefer it from Naruto, then?" Sasuke voice almost condescending as his face grew a smug grin, his arms neatly folded over his chest he watched her slowly turn her eyes seeming almost yellow with rage but much to his surprise her returned fire was the last thing he expected.

"Hm…" Sakura smiled almost nonchalantly "I guess you would be interested to know if I was interested in Naruto, Sense you did fondle me that one night… I guess it'd be beneficial to know who your competition is." She watched with great amusement as the smug look on Sasuke's face shifted to that of almost horror. Satisfied with her cunning statement she turned her back to him, pleased at the silent response she received.

_#"&! _Sasuke cursed himself inside his brain for letting his hands wonder in that fight with her and allowing her to notice. _Clever witch…_ He'd never be able to deny it without bringing up the topic and risk getting caught by his own faulty words. "Tch…" Sasuke sneered in an attempt to regain his composure she had stricken him of "perhaps in your dreams, blossom, I've touched you that way. I recall no such thing, I recall a fight that I won…with ease I might add." When he opened his eyes after finishing his last statement her looked down into swirling green orbs and felt the twinge of knife point against his open chest.

"You left your mark and I left mine, Uchiha…" Her voice filled with distain "It's one thing to cut my flesh and take a piece for your own…but toy with my brain…and I swear…" She lowered her kunai to rest just above his precious region "you really will be the last of your clan…" Despite her words that she meant with the upmost seriousness she wanted to kiss him, god she wanted to lock lips with him so bad…if for no other reason than to piss him off, then so bit it…but it didn't stop her from wanting it. She could feel her stance weakening and her eyes growing somber as she stared into those dark eyes that filled her with so much warmth and so much hate all at the same time. The feeling she had felt the first day they met…all those years ago…still haunted her every time they touched or locked eyes and there were times (like now) that she truly hated that beautiful feeling she felt inside. Slowly she felt Sasuke's hand meet her own as he gently pushed her hand away from his lower abdomen and looked at her quixotically.

"We should be going…" He spoke softly, moving past her as his eyes filled with remorse. The more he tried to distance himself from her the more he seemed to become attached and aside from frustrating the hell out of him he became concerned that he would no longer be able to hold up the emotionless façade he had built around him. It was going to be a long journey indeed…and with no one else around to distract him from the pink haired vixen he began to worry that his defenses against her would weaken as she slowly began to crack his barrier, bit by bit. He hated how he felt so connected to her with no explanation as to why.


	15. Chapter 15

"They're **WHAT**?!" Tsuande roared as Shizune reported the incident at hand.

"Sasuke and Sakura have left the village…" Shizune repeated a little more softly than before.

"They we're going to find Nartuo…" Ino piped up as she stood next to Shikamaru, Neji, Tenten and Tamri the group that was suppose to accompany the other two Shinobi on their journey.

Tsunade sighed, practically pulling on the strands of her hair as she ran her polished nails through her scalp and cursed under her breath "Please excuse yourselves, all of you." With a light click of the door closing Tsuande sank deep into her office chair feeling more defeated in those five minutes than she ever had in her entire existence. "Do you believe in them, Kakashi?" she spoke through laced fingers and watery eyes.

With a puff of smoke the grey haired nin appeared and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder "I do" he responded gently.

Tsuande turned her gaze upward to stare at his covered face as if the answer she was looking for rested in that blue cloth. "But…with no real knowledge of their memories…of their power? I mean…Sasuke has his fire jutsu and his Chidori…and Sakura discovered her strength…but without it all pieced together…and if Orochimaru breaks the angelic seal that contains the Nine Tailed Fox in Naruto-" a light squeeze from Kakashi's hand to her shoulder made her thoughts trail as he smiled through his covering.

"Have faith in them, Lady Tsuande…if we don't believe in them…how can ever expect them to believe in each other?" She knew the sensei was right but it didn't leave her mind any less troubled and what was worse she couldn't send the other Shinobi to their aid. With no knowledge of which direction they were headed it seemed senseless to send a handful of her best warriors on a wild goose chase, leaving the village practically defenseless.

She sighed heavily and sunk her face into her paper riddled desk. "I need some Sake…" she groaned.

-O-o-O-o-O-o-O-

The first day of their journey was coming to the end as the sun began to give way to the moon. Sakura stretched, arching her back and groaning at the long distance they had already traveled.

"Ne, Sasuke…according to these coordinates we should be there by tomorrow or day after at the latest." Her eyes scanned the parchment diligently before shifting her gaze up to look at the reclusive young man who stayed distant and silent from her. "Are you hungry?" She asked gently before setting her nap sack down on the lush grass and opening the flap to reveal an array of tasty goodies. "I made all these last night so they would be fresh…" She said as she dug into the sack and pulled out two pieces of wax paper "here" she said enthusiastically as she held out the treat for Sasuke who looked at her questionably, Sakura catching his wary gaze "If you're not hungry just say so…you're not going to hurt my feelings." She huffed, still holding out that neatly folded wax paper that concealed the delicious food.

"Why are you being so nice to me after you threatened my manhood?" Sasuke trying to hide his amusement from the statement he had just spoken.

Sakura smirked her eyes filled with mischief "Good lord, Sasuke surely you don't think the food is poisoned? If I wanted to kill you I'd do it in a much more satisfying way."

"And just what kind of way would be satisfying?" Sakura had caught the Uchiha's interest now and he slowly moved in closer to her.

"Mmm…" Sakura attempted to speak through a mouth full of fish and rice before she swallowed "Chinese Sceret…" She winked playfully at the raven haired boy, finding great pleasure in the fact she had teased his sense of amusement and blushed when she caught a hint of a smile curl up into the corners of his mouth.

"Then…" He said seductively almost on top of her now "let's just say you had a mission to kill me…how would you do it?"

_What kind of sick game is he playing this time?_ Sakura thought to herself as she moved out from under his dominating position "I wouldn't…" she replied hastily only to turn from where he was and have him facing her again.

"What if you're life depended on it?" He asked, slowly backing her against the trunk of a tree and leaning in their noses almost touching. He felt something pulling at him to kiss her though he tried to fight it the feeling continued to strike him like an ice pick in the back of his brain.

"Sasuke…" Sakura murmured almost sounding like a whimper of fear or desire he was uncertain and with a slow movement their lips brushed each others in feather like touches neither of them igniting a full kiss. Slowly he backed away, grimacing at his weakness towards her.

"We should sleep…" He muttered as he released her from his hold. Sakura said nothing as she watched him walk away, her face as red as her shirt but thankfully hidden by the nights shadows. Slowly she followed him as they bounded into the trees where they would sleep in their make shift hammocks and Sasuke would experience his first string of unsettling memories with Sakura experiencing the same symptoms.

As Sakura's body slept her mind did not as it raged with soft and violent images that were only clear enough to make out the basics. The images raced through her mind, fuzzy and glitch as beads of sweat began to form on her brow. Her mind distinguished a male in her dreams, long raven black hair and dark eyes much like Sasuke's but through the blurred vision and distortion she could tell the man in her dreams was slightly older than her comrade. The image would sharpen and then dim only to reappear in full color before quickly vanishing as the image of her and this mysterious man played on her mind the last thing she witnessed was the handsome man (that she seemed all too fond of this seemingly make believe world) being run through by a cold steel blade. With her mind scorned with this frightful image she awoke from her restless slumber screaming against her will.

"URIEL!" She cried to no one in particular her jade eyes meeting the inquisitive charcoal stare of Sasuke who had been watching her against her knowledge "AH!!" She cried, falling backwards onto the tree branch that hung her hammock, startled out of her mind.

"Who's Uriel?" Sasuke asked, feeling a hint of curiosity and jealousy that his companion had been dreaming of someone other than him.

"I've got a better question…" Sakura snorted as she pulled herself back up onto the branch that once supported her "why the HELL we're you watching me sleep?!"

"I asked first." Sasuke retorted attempting to avoid her question in its entirety.

Sakura sighed heavily "I honestly don't know…" she said, frustrated with her own answer. _Though the name feels eerily familiar…_ "Now for my question…why we're you watching me sleep?"

Sasuke hesitated to answer "I…" he snorted "You were making so much noise over there I thought something was wrong, you woke me…I came over to make sure nothing was happening." The black haired Shinobi would never admit to be woken by his own string of memorable nightmares similar to those the pink haired Shinobi endured. He rubbed the back of his neck, stiff from such a rough night's sleep before he eyed his comrade that was climbing back into her hammock. "Do you…still have those snacks, Sakura?" He watched her face light up as she reached for her knapsack and dug till she found a snack she thought he'd enjoy. She tossed it to him and watched as he unwrapped it gently to reveal grilled fished with steamed white rice and grilled bits of tomato. He looked at her and smiled gently.

"I made that one especially for you…" She grinned wide "I know you like tomato's…" she blushed sheepishly as she watched him eat it, slowly savoring every bite before he handed her the empty wax paper to place back into the bag as he climbed back into his hammock that was nearby.

"Thank you, Sakura." He said gently sending her a subtle smile before they both let true, pure sleep consume them.

-O-o-O-o-O-o-O-o-O-

"Little brother…" Itachi glowered at the looking glass that was filled with images of his younger sibling and the pink haired Shinobi "you make my job so much easier as you lead that girl to us…"

"Itachi…" a silky voice laced with slime called to him from the shadows "did you retrieve the female Shinobi like I ordered?"

Itachi turned to bow at his master "Your grace…" He spoke, his voice husky and respectful "I have retrieved your something finer until the female Shinobi arrives…I think you'll find her temporary replacement to be quiet satisfactory." With a gentle whistle Itachi beckoned the creature that had captured the blond nin with ease and is it slithered, twisted and rolled it's body to their position Orochimaru's eyes stayed attentive to his cherished pet. With a crack and a gurgle the beast unclenched it's jaw and spat the blond nin onto the floor, coated in slime and blood, his lips and skin tinged blue from blood loss yet Orochimaru's eyes glistened with pleasure at the sight of his new captive.

"Beautiful…" His voice slithered through the shadows as he rose to examine the body. "Get him breathing…" Orochimaru ordered "I want to use him at my earliest connivance..." he hissed, a cackle rising in his voice as Itachi and another servant whisked the blond away in a rapid attempt to revive him.

O-o-O-o-O-o-O

**AN: There you have it…Naruto is not dead : ) I hope all are pleased :D Ok…so maybe it's a little dead…but I fix! I promise! Lmao.**


	16. Chapter 16

From behind glass and submerged in strange liquid, Naruto rested. Cords of different verities were stuck to different appendages as the un-conches Shinobi was still unaware of his surroundings while nothing but his boxers clothed him.

Orochimaru grinned wildly through his reflection as he peered at the young man that had by a twist of fate, fallen into his clutches. "Soon the process will start…and I'll be unstoppable, ITACHI!" He roared his eyes shooting across the room at his loyal slave. "Begin the Chakra conversion…I want everything to be in place for our soon to be guests." He cackled his eyes growing wild as he watched the immobile nin from the other side of the test tube.

Doing as he was instructed, Itachi hooked his master up to an unusual contraption, wires stuck in placed they probably shouldn't have been, he flicked the switch to being the transfer and watched with emotionless eyes. After a moment of silent waiting, slowly the machine began to work its magic as blue glints of light began to feed from Naruto's sleeping body down through the clear tubes until it entered the alabaster flesh of Orochimaru. Itachi knew that it wouldn't be long from now till the angelic seal was broken and all the pure chakra that the blond Nin possessed would be no more, leaving room for the creature to show it's true form and use to his masters advantage.

But Itachi cared little for this plan; he preferred more traditional forms of death rather than let a nine tailed daemon do the work for him. He was well aware his younger sibling was merely less than a day away and he couldn't believe the fool had come this far as it was. _The brat has seemed to of grown something of a spine_ he thought to himself _no matter…it won't save him. _While he stood over the looking glass, eyeing his sleeping sibling and brewing thoughts in his brain, his concentration was broken by an animalistic cry. Slowly he turned to see the transfer had been complete and there in the wavering observation tube, still fool of liquid was a livid, enraged nine tailed fox in the form of a young Shinobi, his master maniacal laughter breaking the locked eyes he had on the creature.

"It is done!" Orochimaru cried, holding his glowing hands that were submerged and tinted with black light. "The power of heaven and hell is MINE!" He screamed gleefully before turning his attention to his lovely captive that was in the process of breaking his way out of his confinement. "Hush my pet…" he turned his slit eyes that were more wild than usual to his captive "You'll have your fill…this I can promise…"

O-o-O-o-O-o-O

"We're almost there, Sasuke…" Sakura said through a lump in her throat as nerves began to settle into her stomach as she tried hard to fight off the sickening feeling she felt inside, knowing there was no room for fear on a mission as treacherous as this.

"So I see you've made it this far…little brother…" Itachi's voice fluttered through the trees as he stood on a thick branch, glaring down at the two Shinobi that were far from home.

"Itachi!" Sasuke growled, his body immediately becoming tense with hostility.

"Turn back, Sasuke and I'll spare you and your friend's pathetic life." He cooed as he fondled his cherished katana.

Sakura tensed her gloved hands into tight fists and growled at this unfamiliar presence "We've come too far to give up now!" She screamed at this menace of a man.

"How very foolish if you both…" Itachi's voice calm and cool as he unsheathed his weapon, its metal glinting off the rising sun. With inhuman speed that could only be caught by Sharigan eyes, Itachi lunged for his younger brother who blocked his blade with his own.

"Sakura!" Sasuke beckoned to his team-mate "Go on ahead! I'll take care of this guy!"

In no need to argue she bolted ahead. _Sasuke…don't you die…_ She prayed for his safety as she left him to venture for Naruto, her hopes set high that he had survived the attack that had led them here. She pushed through branches and bounded through trees as fast as her legs and Chakra could carry her until she finally reached her destination and she skidded to a stop, taking in the images that had been laid out before her.

"Hello…Ssssssakura!" Orochimaru's forked tongue protruded from his long mouth to lick the edges of his lips. But it wasn't his presence that had stricken her jade eyes with so much fear as it was what was beside him. Clad in his black and orange uniform, his headband still in its usual place was the figure of Naruto his body ablaze with streaming red and orange chakra she could see the creature had taken him in his entirety while his eyes glowed a hellish shade of red. "I've got someone I'd like you to MEET!" Ororchimaru sneered before he released the blood thirsty beast on the female Shinobi and as she watched the creature rush her with inhumane speed, she braced herself for impact.

-O-o-O-o-O-o-O-

**AN: Cue cliff hanger. :evil laugh:**


	17. Chapter 17

Sakura had seen this creature once before but the familiarity of it did not make it any less frightening and while her eyes watched her demented comrade rip up the earth on his speeding rampage for her, she held her ground with a firm, rigid stance. _I can't lose! _She cried to herself with the figure of Naruto rushing towards her on all fours. In what felt like a mere instant their bodies collided, thundering the earth with chakra induced strength Sakura fought to keep the wild creature at bay. The ground sprayed up with her thrusts and punches as she slammed her fists into the ground, her chakra causing minor earth vibrations to rumble through the secluded forest. But her power was not enough to make the demon second guess his actions and with a flicker of its tail and a twitch of its muscles the hellish nightmare charged the pink haired Nin, slamming her into various different objects before he pinned her mercilessly against the trunk of a tree.

Sakura grimaced from her injuries and cringed as the burning claw wrapped tighter and tighter around her ivory jugular, saliva from the beast dripping on her uniform and sliding down her legs. In an act of desperation and frustration she let out an animalistic cry before she clutched the beast with her gloved hands and catapulted him away from her. With the demon at a distance she fell to her knees, fingering her bruised and blistered skin that covered her slender neck. _I hope Sasuke is doing better than I am…_ she heaved while she rose from the ground in a desperate attempt to keep fighting.

In the distance, not far from where Sakura was holding her own, blades collided as Sasuke fought his brother in a twisted act to avenge his family and clan, both the Uchiha's eyes red with the blood line gift of the Sharingan. Through the trees, in the midst of their battle, Sakura's demented cry rang through the forest causing Sasuke to lose his focus as the sound filled his ears and rattled his brain.

"Sakura!" He cried, turning his back to his elder brother in an attempt to accompany his distraught comrade.

"A true warrior never runs away from a FIGHT!" Itachi growled as he swung his blade at the younger Nin who skillfully blocked it, a smirk running wild across his face.

"How can it be a fight when it's not much of a challenge?!" Sasuke roared as he swung his blade to the front catching steel with flesh as it ran a smooth cut across his brother's chest. Fluid's leaked and stained his brothers uniform as Itachi glared at the young blood through stiff eyebrows that watched Sasuke slowly lock his body into a place and flex his blade that was thirsty for vengeance. And Sasuke swore, there would truly only be one Uchiha left by sunset.

Sakura watched her comrade make a full, wide circle before locking his eyes on her, his one and only target. She could predict his movement but only to a certain point and with a thrust of her first and a growl erupting from her throat her hands penetrated the earth sending her challenger flying at a reasonable distance, leaving the beast unresponsive for a time being. _I can't keep this up for long…_ She said knowing full well her strength would not last forever. But with her mind consumed with the task at hand, Orochimaru's presence had become voided in her thoughts until he had her in his clutches. He overwhelmed her, placing once of his scaly hands around her neck from behind and the other around her waist, tightly pinning her arms to her waist and limiting her air intake.

"Give me your power…." He hissed, his forked tongue flicking against her delicate ear the stolen charka illuminating his skin and blistering her flesh.

"What power?!" She screeched, fighting against the hold he had on her. _Does he mean my Chakra? _With a forceful shove he spun her body to face his piercing yellow eyes.

"Don't play dumb with me, you witch!" His hands gripping her forcefully as he stared deep into her green eyes searching for the answers he desired, his face falling flat when he realized the emptiness they consumed. But quickly his face transformed to a wild grin "no matter…" He hissed, still holding her in his clutches "I'll just take it from you!" His eyes lit with insanity he removed his hands from restraining her only to plunge them into her chest in an effort to take what he ultimately desired. With his intrusion, Sakura's body lurched and her eyes grew wide with fear and pain though only gasps of air escaped her flushed lips that were fading in color as her eyes were slowly becoming still. Her body in shock, her head fell forward her pink hair cascading down her neck to hide her pain stricken face that had grown somber and cold as Orochimaru slowly began to suck the life from the young Shinobi. He desired to become the strongest and rule all the villages with an iron fist with the Nine Tailed Fox at his side that was slowly stirring to conciseness in the distance. "Do you remember now…my pet?" Orochimaru cackled, her blue Chakra slowly beginning to seep from her body and into his.

Less than a mile away, Sasuke continued to fight his sibling but a sudden twinge in his chest made his mind wonder as he clutched the flesh that burned and throbbed just above his right breast. Slowly he peeled back his tunic to expose the inflamed scar tissue where Sakura had left her mark only a few nights prior. He quickly shifted his eyes upward to look at his older brother who stood a fair distance away from him, smirking with a delighted look in his eyes before he faded into the shadows.

"ITACHI!!" Sasuke roared only to grimace at the pain from the inflamed scar. "Sakura…" His eyes growing wide with fear before he sheathed his Katana and darted toward the direction he had seen the blossom go earlier. _Please don't let me be too late!_

**O-o-O-o-O**

**Thank you for almost 200 hits on this story!!**


	18. Chapter 18

Inside Sakura felt something stir beneath her, her Chakra slowly dwindling from her flickering soul as her life began to seep into Orochimaru's hands. Her still body lurched and twitched with the twinge of fire that burned beyond her human exterior and with a rush that was ignited by death her mind was plagued with images from her eternal past, each piece of her missing puzzle coming together to ultimately make a string of vibrant memories from her past life.

With a final push off from a branch Sasuke bolted onto the scene at hand, quickly taking in the horrors of it all. Sakura limp and unresponsive, Naruto squirming awake in the distance and Orochimaru behind it all. His body livid he began to wring the handle on his prized Katana, his muscles tensed with rage and with a blood curdling cry he rushed to his blossoms aid, his metal unexpectedly meeting that of his original target, Itachi.

"MOVE, ITACHI! You're no concern of mine!" Sasuke's voice rugged and gruff while his blade pushed against his brothers, his Sharingan eyes shining with hostility. But he knew Itachi would not let him pass, not without killing him first and again it became a clash of the blood binding siblings as Sasuke struggled to aid his comrade.

"SAKURA!" The familiar voice filled her voided subconscious; though distinguishable it felt distant to her. But in her disadvantage state, there was no way for her to know Sasuke was closer than she realized.

"Sas-uke…" She forced through frozen lips, her head still hung low against her evasive opponent whose hands were wrist dip in her life force. With a tick of her fingers she managed enough strength to ball her right hand into a fist and with what little strength she had left, she slammed her knuckles into the flesh of Orochimaru, sending him catapulting backwards. With a thud she crumpled to the ground, coughing to catch her wind before she rose to take her stance, her eyes ablaze with memories, power and disgust "I remember…" she growled, eyeing her opponent. Slowly she walked towards him, her body ignited with streams of silver chakra that rolled off her skin and took on the image of pair of heavenly placed wings. "I remember everything…" her voice laced with hostility and with her nearing her ultimate target she heard a animal make its presence known, it's voice filled the air around them and shook the ground on which they stood her eyes quickly darting to Sasuke who was entangled with his brother. The demon was rising to avenge who had stricken him senseless and Sakura knew, even in her new state that there was no way to simply defeat the creature without killing her cherished comrade. The angelic seal that had been placed upon her lovable companion had been stripped from his body and with his Angelic Chakra drained from his core, it only left room from one element to thrive and with the realization of the circumstance Sakura knew she had to put the stolen Chakra back into Naruto, no matter what that might pertain to her doing.

With little time to think she attempted to devise a plan on a whim her eyes looking at her surroundings in rapid movements. The demon was mobile now, screaming with fury as it tore through the earth in an attempt to charge all who were in its path. Out of the corner of her eye she spied a disadvantaged Sasuke who was the mercy of his brother's emotionless eyes and blood thirsty steel. With her emotions fried she acted on instinct as Itachi reared back his blade, determined to finish what he started all those years ago. With a thud she slammed Sasuke to the ground, a trail of air escaping his lungs as their bodies collided. With her body stationary she attempted to push herself off the ground only to grimace in pain as her flesh ran against cold steel, a strangled smile falling from her face while she watched blood fill her surroundings.

"I…" She struggled to speak through the coppery fluid that filled her lips, splattering the thick substance against the grainy forest floor before she attempted to finish her sentence. "I'm sorry…I failed you…" She stuttered through paling lips as her love bled from her wound and mixed with Sasuke's own punctured flesh that gushed from the same blade. She had always felt connected to him sense the first time their eyes locked that first day of school. That all seemed so distant to her now and she couldn't help but feel the irony in the situation as her blood ran down the blade and dripped onto the once scarred tissue that rested just above his right breast. Perhaps they always were this connected yet forever afraid to admit it.

Slowly Sasuke lifted his hand to brush the fluttering pink hairs from her dulling green eyes, a weak smile filling his paling lips. "Sakura…" he whispered gently "I'll find you…" he stuttered through shallow breaths before his half lidded eyes grew dim and still, Sakura's body slowly sliding down the rigid steel to take its final resting place on top of the only man she ever, truly, loved.

O-o-O-o-O-o-O

**Wow that was really depressing to write…sorry about the short chapter…and no…the story is not over! **


	19. Chapter 19

Slowly the sky began to dim with black rolling clouds thundering from the south, drops of rain pelting the dusty ground with the salt from God's eyes with the earth soaking up its creators mourning. With the cold liquid mixing with the still blood that poured from the two lovers, Itachi stared shamelessly at the two Shinobi who were now distant and lost to the pain of battle.

"Tch…" Itachi scorned "how foolish of you both…" and with his task completed he turned to leave the desolate bodies that lay before him, leaving his Katana with his brother's final resting place. Naruto's lingering presence of no concern to him as he departed the scene.

Naruto had ceased his rampage, his body ticking with the presence of human concusses with his eyes flickering hits of their normal shade of blue while his focus latched on to his immobile comrades. But a rustle and a grunt caught his ears; his head jerking to the side with his eyes flashing glints of red, fangs bared through a clenched jaw, he had spotted his one true target, Orochimaru. With rugged movements he shifted his body, the orange chakra flaming from his peach skin as he locked eyes with the legendary antagonist of Konoha. The fury of hell streaming through his veins he screamed his rage through strained vocal cords, his claws digging deep into the softening earth that continued to be pummeled by the rain. Orochimaru's eyes sparked with delight at the thought of the nine tailed demon challenging him, the idea of using the boys own power against him caused his lips to part as the corner of his mouth creased upward with amusement, it was a nightmare come true for the snake charmer. Swift movements enveloped Naruto's body as he moved in disoriented patterns towards his opponent, Chakra and flesh colliding with the other on contact.

The battle became a tango of forces, neither one strong enough to break the other yet they continued to fight, hoping, praying the other would faultier in their stance. Their clothes became tattered; their bodies riddled with wounds. They became weaker the longer they used their power and with Naruto's power fading, he could feel death run its scythe against his flesh sending chills down his spine. With what little humanity he still possessed in his hell sent form he realized that there was much more at stake in this battle if he lost. Determined to win he fought through his brooding exhaustion to retrieve what had been hastily stolen from him. Naruto swung his fist wildly, impaling Ororchimaru's torso with an array of forceful jabs, he was determined to win. With his opponent in his clutches Naruto reared back a tightly synched first, releasing a blood curdling cry before he sunk his fist into Orochimaru's chest in an attempt to reclaim what was rightfully his.

Orochimaru's eyes dilated at the searing pain he felt from the animals intrusion and watched in horror while Naruto reclaimed his heavily chakra. The beast raged with fury from being consumed by the presence that had kept him at bay for so many years, Naruto rearing back his head to scorn the heavenly skies for the mind curdling pain he was enduring. With the transfusion complete his hands retracted from the depth of his enemy and he slowly fell to ground from exhaustion leaving Orochimaru disoriented and powerless.

Naruto heaved through shallow, raspy breaths his eyes dilated with fear and slowly he turned his head to view his comrades who had perished in battle. "SASUKE!! SAKURA!!" His voice strangled and raspy as the words erupted from his throat while he scrambled to his feet to be at his cherished friend's side in an attempt to aid them. He skidded to a stop; he knees slamming into mud and splattering his clothes his eyes swelling with tears as he took in the image before him. It was obvious to him that Sakura had attempted to save her unrequited love but failed at the sake of her own life. Stricken with grief at the loss of two friends he slowly pulled the sword from their bodies and placed to beside him before falling on top of their immobile forms and wept for their departure.

"We…we're too late…" A familiar voice waved through the sound of rain and Naruto's seemingly uncontrollable sobs. Slowly he lifted his head to see the blonde companion of Sakura, Ino and she had not come alone. Behind her stood an array of distinguishable faces Shikamaru, Temari, Neji, Kiba, TenTen and Lee, hey had all come, no doubt, to aid their comrades yet now they shared Naruto's pain. Ino fell to her knees, horror etched into her face and slowly she reached out a hand to touch the numb Sakura as if to test her senses to make sure it was all just not a horrific nightmare.

"How…" Naruto's voice timid and soft compared to what it usually was "how did you find us..?" Naruto questioned as he watched Ino's moonstone eyes glisten with tears before she forced a smile, slowly looking at the other Shinobi.

"Neji…" She said bleakly "his…byakugan…he tracked Chakra levels to lead us here…but…" She attempted to finish her sentence but sorrow consumed her and she began to weep the other Shinobi paying their respect through silent admiration. Naruto placed a gentle hand on the corps of his companion and lowered his head as he began to remember the good days with all three of them together, training as a team.

"Naruto!" Ino beamed at him her eyes wide in amazement.

Naruto shifted his grieving blue eyes to study Ino's face that was locked onto his hand he had placed on top of Sakura. Slowly he shifted his eyes down to see his left hand swimming in blue Chakra and his comrades' flesh slowly beginning to flush with color. Out of instinct he quickly removed his hand, the Chakra flow ceasing at the immediate release and his eyes quickly became filled with confusion.

"WHY'D YOU STOP?!" Ino roared, grabbing the blonde Shinobi by his shirt collar and shaking him violently. "CAN'T YOU SEE IT WAS WORKING!!" She screamed before throwing him to the ground "Now do it again!!" She demanded her eyes ablaze with hope and anger. Naruto glared up at the irrational emotional girl, glaring gently at her forceful nature before looking at his hands. He didn't quite understand, he had never been a healer, nor a medic, how was this all possible? He lifted his gaze to stare at the hopeful faces around him before he gently placed his hands back on the corpses.

Almost instantly the glowing blue Chakra ignited from his hands and spread over the couple's bodies and he watched in amazement as the wound that had stricken them with death began to slowly seal itself. Within moments that felt like hours the process was complete and Naruto watched in awe as the two Shinobi that had walked with death began to slowly breathe, silver threads of heavenly aura streaming from their bodies as they both slowly awoke.

Ino's eyes swelled with tears at the sight of her beloved friends green eyes "SAKURA!!" She cried before throwing herself on top of the pink haired nin who hugged her tightly before Ino broke away to forcefully slap her across her face. "Don't you do that again!!" Ino screamed, her stern face meeting Sakura's look of horror before Ino's eyes filled with tears and again she latched onto her cherished friend and cried.

"Tch…" Shikamaru sneered "troublesome woman…always so damned emotional."

Naruto turned to Sasuke his blue eyes somber as he stared at the raven haired boy who rose from the ground, holding his head gently. "Teme…" Naruto smirked lightly, sending a gentle glare in the Uchiha's direction.

"Dobe…" Sasuke retorted, mirroring Naruto's expression.

The revival of the two cherished Shinobi brought a sigh of relief and joy to the other Nin that had come to their aid only a moment too late. But with an eruption that caused the earth to shudder all their eyes were adverted to the creature that had started it all. Orochimaru rose from the ground, the rain pummeling his sickly white flesh as a hungry cry rang from his stretched lips.

"You think you can beat me that easily?!" His voice livid as his eyes grew thirsty for blood and power. The ten Shinobi Ninja going rigid with their eyes consuming their most fiercest opponent yet and with no doubt in anyone's mind they prepared to endure the most grueling battle any of them would ever face.

O-o-O-o-O

**AN: Yes…I'm going to explain how the hell Naruto brought Sasuke and Sakura back to life…I promise, lol. Thanks everyone for the reviews, hits and support on this story. Much love to you all. More to come.**


	20. Chapter 20

The battle raged well into the next day, keeping Sakura busy with her medic experience but even with her healing abilities the fight had fallen on Sasuke and Naruto and Sakura prayed that all would end in their favor. She still remembered everything and in her brief departure she knew Sasuke had come to the realization of his past as well and though she was unsure if Naruto recalled everything in its entirety, she could see his eyes flicker with pieces slowly fitting place to make his memories. Yet she wondered if he realized he had saved them from the clutches of death by using his heavenly sent Chakra that had been locked away beneath him till now or if he had deemed it a lucky circumstance. She watched her comrade's rage in battle, staying close to the other Shinobi that were too drained to carry on and aiding them when necessary. She wanted to fight a long side her team but she knew her abilities were of better use off the battlegrounds rather than in them.

"Sa-kura…" A soft voice called to her and she recognized it to be Lee, who had taken a harsh blow in order to protect Sasuke and Naruto and as such had been one of the first to falter. Sakura had healed his injuries but sadly she knew the only cure for Chakra loss was rest.

"What is it Lee?" She asked gently, inching closer to his weak body.

"Sakura…they need you." Lee wheezed through rugged breaths, opening one eye to glance at her beautiful glowing face. "Without you…they don't stand a chance to win against Orochimaru…you're the missing piece…" He watched her eyes widen in amazement and he gently smiled up at her "go make history."

She stared at him for a moment longer before she shifted her green orbs to look at the battle that raged on in the distance, her brow gently wrinkling while her eyes assessed the fight at hand. Lee was right…Naruto and Sasuke were just strong enough together to keep Orochimaru at bay, however they were growing weary and she knew that she had to do something before they ended up like the rest of the team.

"Naruto, Sasuke!" Sakura's voice rang out against the sounds of war and she towards her beloved comrades, catching the stern look of a rather pre-occupied Uchiha.

"Sakura!" He growled, his Sharingan eyes baring deep into her soul "get away from here!"

"We've got to do this together!" She cried "we can do this but we have to do it as a team!" She stared Sasuke down her eyes overpowering his Sharingan glare.

"How, Sakura?" Naruto questioned through a weary voice, his exhaustion showing in every being of his body but her warm smile filled him with the hope he had lost. Gently he felt her warm fingers touch his, their skin igniting a twinge of a visible spark and he stared at her dumbfounded watching intently as she did the same with Sasuke, their touch causing the same reaction.

"Hold hands…" Sakura cooed, catching the look of disgust cross the two young men's faces at the thought of _touching _one another outside of a well deserved punch. They hesitated and slowly let their fingers brush, a spittle of a spark igniting between them.

Naruto smirked "Why Sasuke…I didn't know you felt that way."

Sasuke's eyes churned blood red and he towered over the blond "Shut-Up, Dobe! Or I'll give you such a fat lip you won't be able to smart off for a month!"

"That so?!" Naruto fought back, pressing his chest against Sasuke in an attempt to assert his dominance only to crumble to his knees with Sasuke to follow suit, releasing howls of pain as Sakura tightened her grip around their hands.

"Anymore smart comments from the peanut galaxies?" She fumed before slowly unclenching the grip she had on her two male companions, letting them rise to their feet. After she had made her point clear they did as instructed and formed a three person ring and with little effort their silver Chakra began to stream off their bodies. Their eyes gently closed and their minds cleared of all other clutter and noise they relaxed and focused on one thing, ending the reign of Orochimaru. Within seconds light erupted from their bodies, their eyes stricken with light as their flesh became immortal and their souls burned with the eternity God had buried with their memories so many years ago. With their power and light, their presence erupted through the land and shook the earth from miles away their power initially blinding their comrades that were within viewing range of the incident at hand. Slowly God's power flowed into the land and Orochimaru knew he could not hide from the presence that had damned him sense the fall and with a pain stricken defeated cry, he was slowly reduced to nothing but embers of smoldering ash.

As quickly as it had been ignited the power recoiled itself back into each individuals body before they fell backwards onto the ground all of their hair had become elongated in the process and sprawled out around their limp bodies. With the theatrics at a standstill, their comrades, though exhausted rushed to their aid and stood over them in awe as they lay in the tattered grass. Slowly the each began to stir and each one of the lingering Shinobi let out a sigh of relief before helping them sit upright.

"Ug…" Naruto groaned, placing his palm to his scalp before opening one eye to asset his surroundings then the other to gawk at his other male team mate who had suddenly grown longer hair than any female he had seen in the village. "HOLY HELL!" Naruto exclaimed, pointing his index finger wildly at the Uchiha "you look like a girl!!"

"Doooobe!!" Sasuke growled, before popping a few knuckles right in Naruto's upper lip.

**O-o-O-o-O**

**AN: Tee hee - roughly only one more chapter to go **


	21. Chapter 21

Two years later everything seemed to distant to everyone in the village now, not just the trio of heroes and as such much had changed in that time of transition.

The taunt skin of Sakura's belly was a contestant teasing reminder of their affection and adoration for the other as Sasukeoften found himself nestled against her shoulder in the privacy of their humble abode, his bandaged digits tracing her swollen belly that was flushed with life, a glimmer of a smile escaping his lips as he felt for the tiny blossom that was nestled beneath her flesh, growing more each day. She was always silent in his time of affection towards her and the baby, her green eyes speaking more words than her lips could fathom while her fingers slowly traced the swirled incision on his right bicep, the suns gentle rays catching the polished metal that rested on her ring finger. In all her years of mindless dreaming, she never imagined they'd ever conceive let alone tie the knot. Many things had changed in two years and Sakura's flushed belly and decorative ring finger were only a few of the adjustments the village had come to terms with.

After the three now legendary Shinobi had returned home many things were already in order as Sasuke and Naruto returned to their usual short hair-cuts, Sakura keeping her blushed hair long to sweep the middle of her back, delighted that the length she desired had returned. Word traveled fast, as it often does and in the wake of the Ten Shinobi returned, they were all rewarded for their bravery, strength and honor and as such Lady Tsuande had made arrangements for Naruto to begin studying in order to one day take his place as the 6th Hokage and in the mean time, Naruto had taken a stance by Sasuke and sworn the oath of an Anbu.

It was indeed hard to believe now two years had passed and Sasuke had not only become captain of the Black Ops but had begun the revival of his clan that had perished so long ago. And as he looked at Sakura, there were no words that were spoken but merely silent admiration as he touched her lovingly at any opportune moment and for Sakura, his reassuring touch was all she needed to ensure his love for her. And though it was rare for him to say it, the look in his eyes proved her suspicion as he nuzzled her on her shoulder and wrapped each of his hands around her swollen abdomen, he was proud. For there, nestled beneath her, was his son and he was filled with a sense of joy and for the first time in his life he felt blessed to be alive. Their child would no doubt be the greatest collaboration the Village of Konoha had ever seen and Sasuke was thrilled at the thought of having a family to call his own and a strong woman to carry his name, even if he only showed it through his lingering hands. But to Sakura, those subtle touches and gentle brushes meant more to her than any flowery sentence or artificially filled phrase and as long as his hands continued to linger on her body, she would be satisfied till the day she gave way to age and became one with the earth. But for now, that day was far from her thoughts as she gently placed a tender hand on top of Sasuke's bandaged touch and traced his movements that circled her belly, feeling more at peace with herself and the world around her than she ever had in her entire existence as they shared their joy as one.


	22. Chapter 22

**AN: **

Sequel to this story has been posted under "The Curse."

Thnx,

Deora


End file.
